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Saturday, November 10, 2012

Transfer plants

Q: We are digging out our backyard to put in a
patio. There are two plants there - one wisteria and one clematis. Is it
possible for us to dig these up and transfer the root system to large
pots to keep them where they are, but not in the ground. If yes, what
size pots would you recommend?​A:
It is possible to transplant older Wisteria and Clematis for moving
elsewhere in your yard or into a container like you'd like to do. Timing
is important and the ultimate transplanting time would be March. You
can still do this in April but try to pick a period when it will be
overcast and rainy if possible. This will stress the plant less and it
will also then be less likely to sustain transplant shock. If possible
always move any plant that has been dug to it's new location as soon as
possible. Prepare the hole or container using a combination of fresh
earth, compost, manure, and peat moss. This will not only allow new
roots to grow quickly and easily into the new soil but plants will
perform much better long term when they're growing in a good mix of
assorted mediums. When choosing the container, have in the back of your
mind, bigger is better. Vines have a massive amount of leaf mass and
during hot periods they lose a lot of moisture through transpiration
(sweating so to speak) and all that moisture needs to be replaced. If
you're container is too small it will dry out quickly causing damage to
the vines.

I would suggest a 3 foot by
3 foot by 3 foot deep container to house your vines long term. Maybe
building something with treated wood might be best. Immediately after
transplanting ensure that you use a high phosphate transplanting
fertilizer to feed the vines and assist in developing root growth as
well as preventing any transplant shock that can damage or potentially
kill your plants. Keep them moist from then on.